The only Chinese American Museum in the Midwest

Wu Tingfang

Wu Tingfang, the popular and highly regarded Imperial Chinese ambassador to the U.S. between 1897 and 1902. He visited Chicago a number of times and later received an honorary LLD degree from the University of Chicago. Famed for his wit and candor in explaining China to European-Americans, he also took an active role in the Chinese-American community. He is credited with thinking up the idea of limiting the number of Chinese restaurants and laundries in each neighborhood, as supervised by each city’s Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association.